Psychotherapy in Health Care in the Czech Republic

The paper offers a rough topography of psychotherapy in the Czech healthcare. It draws a line between a) non-clinical and positive psychotherapy and b) clinical psychotherapy. Another axis goes between schools and systems. The author states that an eclectic or loosely integrative approach predominates; however, there are several facilities where one system (psychoanalytic and psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioural, to a lesser extent systemic, existential, daseinsanalytical) prevails. In the diagnostic orientation, a focus to neurotic difficulties, personality disorders, and patients with psychosis is dominant. However, psychotherapy is performed for all major diagnostic categories and all age groups. There are about 20 facilities with psychosomatic aspect. Psychotherapy is performed for outpatients, in day care centres, in psychiatric and somatic wards. Education is determined by the certification and training in an officially authorized psychotherapeutic programme verified by certification after certified course. A research in psychotherapy is still fragmented and thematically narrow. Text includes the clinical case.

Jiří Růžička, rector of The Prague College of Psychosocial Studies and director of Eset Clinic, Prague, Czech Republic e-mail: roseman@volny.cz